Dalit face missing, BJP still out to climb bandwagon
Tarannum Manjul Posted online: Tuesday , Apr 13, 2010 at 0457 hrs
Lucknow : The BJP is all set to woo the Dalits — despite lacking a
single recognised Dalit leader.
The party has planned a campaign against the Ranganath Mishra
Committee's recommendation for SC quota reservation for Dalits who
converted to Christianity or Islam. Under the banner of the BJP's
Aarakshan Bachao Manch, its Dalit leaders are to travel across the
state.
The Manch has its agenda in place for the next five months. The first
programme — held in Lucknow on Sunday — was attended by national
general secretary Thavarchand Gehlot, along with national spokesperson
Ramnath Kovind and the national secretary Ashok Pradhan.
Diwakar Seth, state coordinator of the Manch, said, "We will initially
start with the mahanagars." This will be followed by programmes in
districts and then protests and dharnas at the tehsil level.
"We are opposing the Ranganath Mishra Committee report, which says
that Dalits who have converted into Islam or Christianity should also
be given reservation under the SC quota," he said. "We will tell
people what steps different BJP governments at the state and the
Centre had taken for them."
But the party's problem is the absence of recognisable Dalit faces in
the state.
The only name mentioned is that of former MP Ashok Pradhan, who is
little known outside Aligarh and Bulandshahr districts. The Manch is
relying chiefly on Rajnath Singh and party state president Ramapati
Ram Tripathi.
Party insiders, however, say this lacunae will not help to strike a
chord with the state's Dalit population.
"Gehlot is not well known even in the party," a senior leader pointed
out. "On Sunday, it was found that only senior workers knew who he
was. He too seemed to be finding it difficult to relate with the
people here."
Like Gehlot, Kovind too is an unknown face in UP.
The state BJP, he said, needs Dalit faces. "We have to fight against
the Congress and the BSP who are better placed in this aspect," he
added.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment